Discussion

As a wedding present, I want to get my foodie friends a gift certificate to a restaurant for around $200-300. They have been to many of the popular, nice restaurants in the city and have lived here for awhile. I'd like the food to be delicious and the experience memorable. Any suggestions? Thanks!

The most common response to this question (and one I agree with) is to buy a gift certificate to the Union Square Hospitality Group. That will give your foodie friends a choice among a number of top restaurants including Eleven Madison Park, the Modern, Tabla, Grammercy Tavern, and Union Square Cafe. One of those is likely to appeal and you can buy the card from the website http://www.ushgnyc.com/

I agree that this is the best way to go. The choice of restaurants allows them to decide if they want the gift certificate to cover the whole bill or to defray the cost of a splurge. And they can pick the menu and type of cuisine that interests them.

USHG is a great idea... I would also consider Daniel Bouloud group of restaurants. Other great places: Scarpetta, WD-50, Daniel, Blue Hill (Stone Barns in particular is amazing!), CIA (in Hyde Park... good for a weekend trip)...